“A scaly body, formed at or beneath the surface of the ground, sending roots downward from its lower part and a stem upwards from its center. It propagates itself by developing new bulbs in the axils of the scales of which it is formed. There are two kinds of bulbs: (1) a ‘tunicated bulb,’ literally a coated bulb, that is, a bulb furnished with a tunic or covering of scales, the outer series of which is thin and membranous, example, the onion; and (2) a ‘naked bulb,’ or one in which the outer scales are not membranous and united, but distinct and fleshy like the inner ones, example, the lilies. The so-called solid bulb of the crocus is, properly speaking, not a bulb at all, but an underground stem with buds upon it, technically called a corm, whereas a proper bulb is analogous not to an underground stem but to a bud only.”

NOTE: gardeners and nurserymen, as a market term, use the word ‘bulb’ loosely to include true bulbs, corms, rhizomes and tubers.

- POGONOSTYLIS, species humilis, styli bulbo basi pilis longis supra ovarium reflexis fimbriato (B&H), a low-growing species with the bulb of the style fimbriate at the base with long hairs reflexed above the ovary.

- [fungus] primo obtutu Agaricum argillaceum in memoriam revocat species pulchella; a quo tamen praeter situm bulbumque lamellis etiam discrepat vix adnexis valde pulverulentis vivide ochraceo - ferrugineis (S&A), at first sight this beautiful species recalls to the mind Agaricus argillaceus; from which it is to be distinguished nevertheless in addition to the position and bulb, by the adnexed [i.e. reaching the gills but not attached to it] lamellae strongly powdery, brightly ochraceous-ferrugineous.

Bacillus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. bacillo: “(obsol.) the little bulbs found on the inflorescence of some plants” (Lindley).

Bulb-plate: lectus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. lecto (Stearn); the bottom of the bulb is made up of a short section of stem forming the basal plate just above the roots and just below the interior ‘bud’ organ.

marginatus,-a,-um (part.A):(in fungi) “(of the pileus) having a distinctly marked border; (of the bulb of the stipe) having a circular ridge on the exterior, upper angle where the universal veil was attached” (S&D);

(of roots); The descending caudex takes the name of Root (radix,-icis (s.f.III))

The bulb-root or bulbous root (Bulbus) is a fleshy, coated body, more or less solid, round and gross, that is firmly united with a root [which is] small in respect of the bulb, which is placed sometimes at the base and sometimes in the middle.

It pushes its shoot either from the middle or the base, which depends on the situation of the root, (Rhizoma) (Willdenow).

Species of bulbous roots: (Radices bulbosae)

1. Imbricated, (radix bulbosa imbricata s. [=seu (‘or’)] squamosa), when the bulb consists of leaves lying over one another like the tiles- of a house; as Lilium bulbiferum.

NOTE: this is referred to also as a ‘naked’ bulb or bulbus squamosus above.

2. Coated, (radix bulbosa tunicata), when the bulb is composed of concentric layers; as in Allium Cepa.